New Vegetation Climate Data Record

The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index

NCDC is announcing the release of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) Climate Data Record. Developed by NOAA funded work at the University of Maryland, the NDVI CDR is derived from Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer Global Area Coverage data. The NDVI CDR is a high-resolution, daily product on a 0.05° by 0.05° grid, and it provides valuable vegetation data dating back to 1981. This consistent, long-term record of remotely sensed vegetation observations allows scientists to characterize the health of vegetation in different regions across the world.

These CDR data are valuable to meteorologists, climate modelers, and researchers in a wide range of applications, including drought detection and monitoring at finer resolutions than previously possible. Climatologists can also use the NDVI CDR to forecast agricultural yields as well as to determine long-term patterns of phenological metrics.